The Daily Show Takes on Objectivity

Mallary Jean Tenore at Poynter Online interview The Daily Show’s writers and producers. No surprise to us, they’re a very serious bunch. Serious about fearlessly critiquing media.

Tenore writes:

When both sides are represented, writer Elliott Kalan said, there needs to be more fact-checking and deeper questioning: “A senator or governor will be on the news and will say something completely biased, and newscasters won’t call them on it. They should be checking these people. Instead they don’t want to alienate them and they let them say whatever they want.”

He argued that the news media — and political commentators — need to look more critically at both sides of an issue, and spend more time breaking down complicated talking points for news consumers. Too often, Kalan said, journalists adhere to neutrality to the point where it paralyzes their ability to ask tough questions and undermines the power of objective, informed opinion.

Kalan described objectivity as having opinions that are pro-facts, and neutrality as meaning you have no stake and no say. “The Daily Show,” he said, aims to be objective. And funny.

Read the whole post here.

Previously on FBLA:

Jon Stewart Takes on CNN

Jon Stewart Takes on MSNBC

Jon Stewart Takes on Geraldo Rivera

Jon Stewart Takes on Jim Cramer…Some More

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